Adobe Photoshop CS4 Level 2

This advanced Adobe Photoshop clsass is an instructor led hands on course. It picks up where the introduction class left off. It continues exploring the new CS4 features. It is designed for those who want to take their Photoshop skills to the next level. Alpha channels, professional retouching techniques, nondestructive filtering, device central, zoomify, refine edge and more will be covered.

Prerequisite: Computer skills on a Mac or a PC
Length of Workshop: 2 Days

The course outline is below:

Using Bridge and Device Central

• Incorporating Metadata that transcends across all Adobe CS4 applications
• Using the Bridge Center to buy stock photos & saving files in a group
• Use stacks to organize multiple versions of the same file, group related files, or gather files to send to Photoshop CS4 or Illustrator CS4 for batch processing.
• Zooming in on images with the new CS4 Loupe tool
• Preview, test, and optimize your designs, including Flash Lite applications, for numerous mobile devices

New CS4 Features: Layers, Selections, Zoomify and Device Central

• Using Smart Objects for nondestructive Smart Filtering
• Allowing the new CS4 Quick Selection tool to effortlessly make selections that the Quick Selection tool finishes
• Using the new CS4 Refine Edge feature to visually expand, contract and feather existing selections
• Applying Auto Align Layers to automatically aligning multiple Photoshop layers or images based on similar content
• Publish high resolution images to the web with the new CS4 Zoomify
• Viewing images in Device Central CS4 to preview how images will look on mobile devices

Image Correction

• Working extensively with the new Healing Brush, Spot Healing Brush and Patch tools
• Using the new CS4 Clone Source palette to rotate, align, and create up to 5 Clone sources
• Advanced Adjustment Layer techniques
• Using an Adjustment Layer to affect only a portion of the image with a Layer Mask
• Using Hue/Saturation to colorize a layer or part of an image
• Adjusting images with the new CS4 Black and White feature to visually decrease the tonal range of a specific color area
• Eliminating red eye in a photograph with the new Red Eye tool
• Correcting the tonal range of a washed‐out, too dark or too light image
• Using Threshold to determining highlight & shadow for color casts
• Image correction with Curves & how they differ from Levels
• Color correction by the numbers: Using the Info palette to get rid of color casts

Working with Duotone Curves

Image Manipulation

• Increasing the sharpness of a scan using Unsharp Mask & the new Smart Sharpen as opposed to Sharpen or Sharpen More
• Using the Match Color feature to make two images have the same lighting
• Viewing Live Histograms as you work
• Using the History Brush
• Working with the History Brush to go back in time to revert a portion of your image

Bézier Curves and Vector Masks

• The Pen Tool, Shape Layers, & Vector Layer Masks
• Making selections with the Pen tool
• Examining how the Shape Tool creates Vector Layer Masks automatically
• Using the Vector Layer Mask to hide portions of an image without deleting pixels
• Working with Clipping Paths for print output
• Making complex selections by subtraction and intersection in the Make Selection window

Advanced Layer Masks and Vector Layer Masks

• When to use the Layer Mask vs. the Vector Layer Mask
• Creating collages with images merging into each other
• Hair exercise: Masking out wispy hair

Working with Filters & Photomerge

• Using Filters & combining Filters for maximum effect
• Working with Lens Blur, Box Blur, Shape Blur, and Surface Blur
• Using the Liquefy features & freezing/thawing areas to retouch a swimsuit model
• Using the Filter Gallery to apply multiple filters at once
• Creating multiple planes in an image with Vanishing Point to connect them at any angle, and then wrap graphics, text, and images around them to create packaging mock‐ups and more
• Creating Image Warps

Alpha Channels

• Using Alpha Channels
• Saving selections vs. creating an Alpha Channel from scratch
• Using the Load Selection window to subtract Alpha Channels from a selection
• Applying filters to Alpha Channels to make an unusual selection
• Using Lighting Effects and Color Halftone to create a text effect

Actions and Batch Processing

• Introduction to the Actions Palette & Batch Processing
• Applying an action to multiple images
• Using the Picture Package and Web Photo Gallery features
• Create Droplets to automatically apply an action when an image is dragged upon it

Camera Raw

• Exploring the benefits of using Camera Raw instead of JPG
• Using the Bridge to affect multiple images
• Applying lighting conditions through the Camera Raw window and from Photo Filter
• Using the Lens Correction filter to fix barrel and pincushion distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration
  

Photoshop Instructor

Stacy Cates
Adobe Certified Trainer- Photoshop Expert
Graphic Designer

Biography-Stacy Cates, co-author of the upcoming Photoshop CS4 Bible, has been in the graphic design and printing industry for more than 20 years. She has been teaching Adobe Photoshop since 2001 and holds Adobe Certified Instructor and Comptia Certified Technical Trainer certifications, as well as a Georgia Institute of Technology Certificate in Web Design. Her teaching experience ranges from training one-on-one to teaching college-level computer art courses. Stacy brings to the classroom knowledge about a wide variety of practical applications for Photoshop. She specializes in using Photoshop to design and prepare images for printing, to color-correct, and to retouch images. Stacy has earned numerous awards for publication design from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.